


rumour has it

by TheQueenInTheNorth



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Not Canon Compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-02 10:06:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17262278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheQueenInTheNorth/pseuds/TheQueenInTheNorth
Summary: the general's new ward causes some confusion at court.





	rumour has it

When General Krenyk had announced he would be returning from his voyage with a possible successor, they had all expected a seasoned soldier, a lieutenant at the very least.

No one would have guessed the successor in question would be a scrawny girl barely in her teens with no family name who eyed them all with suspicion and didn’t say a word.

“This is Sinara,”Krenyk introduced. She inclined her head the smallest fraction of a nod in acknowledgement. Krenyk laid a hand on her shoulder with a smile, unperturbed when she shrugged him off.“I have taken her on as my ward.”

“Lovely to meet you,”Kasius said into the awkward silence that followed this announcement when it became painfully clear that neither his father nor brother would say anything.

She turned her gaze to him, still silent, not returning the smile he gave her. Her eyes were startlingly golden.

“Can’t she talk?”Faulnak demanded.

“Unfortunately not,”Sinara said, so deadpan Kasius barely managed to bite back a laugh.

Krenyk’s smile did falter a little but he quickly caught himself.“It’s been a long journey. Kasius, would you mind showing Sinara to my chambers? She can take the guest room for now.”

“A servant could do that just as well,”Garron said, finally awaking from his stupor.

Kasius knew he cared only about the vague insinuation his son might be ordered about like some errand boy. But he had really no desire to stay in the room at this moment.“It’s no problem.”

No one really reacted to his words so he turned to leave, Sinara following closely behind.

“You can’t be serious,”Garron started but the door fell closed before they could hear more.

Kasius was wracking his brain for something to say yet this wasn’t a situation he had ever been prepared for. Sinara beat him to it, anyway.“You’re the younger brother?”

“Yes.” He stopped walking, turning to offer her his hand. She was taller than him. He hadn’t noticed before.“I’m Kasius.”

She hesitated long enough that he was about to lower his hand again when she took it.

* * *

“Krenyk’s insistent on keeping the stray,”Faulnak said, balancing his chair on only two legs.

Kasius gave a non-committal hum in reply, remembering how Mother had always told him off for teetering like that, and hoped Faulnak would fall and break his neck like she’d been worried.

“Didn’t think he was the type,”Faulnak continued,“And even once you look past her age… She’s such a scrawny thing, and not even pretty.”

“She’s his ward,”Kasius reminded him acidly. He did not care for the disgusting implication in his brother’s words. Krenyk just had a habit to grow rather fond of the unwanted, Kasius could vouch for that himself.

Faulnak scoffed.“Or so he says. Whatever the case, he’s losing his marbles if he thinks he can keep that girl at court.”

“You just don’t like her because she made you look like an idiot,”Kasius said, returning his attention to his book.“Which you are, so good on her for noticing.”

The satisfaction of speaking his thoughts aloud was almost worth the sharp sting of Faulnak’s hand coming down on the back of his neck. He managed to suppress the hiss of pain, having fully expected retaliation.

Father had complained about bruising on Kasius’ face, and Faulnak was nothing if not an obedient son.

* * *

Sinara chewed on her lower lip, doing her best to keep her attention on the woman supposed to teach them - something. She wasn’t all too clear on anything aside from the younger prince apparently being her age and them therefor being tutored together.

She’d forgotten the woman’s name already, and she was focussed mostly on the prince, anyway. Sinara hadn’t answered any of her questions, nor written anything down, and she had yet to even notice that.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to understand what she was saying. But all the writing looked wrong, and the numbers made no sense without them.

“Rhaen, can we have a break?”Kasius suddenly asked.

Their tutor frowned but agreed, heading towards the other side of the room to fetch a glass of water.

Kasius leaned over to Sinara.“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,”she said, horrified by the odd pitch in her voice. She didn’t want to disappoint Krenyk, as silly as that was. Her birth parents had given her away without hesitation, and she’d moved on from that. A few months on a spaceship with someone who decided to be her guardian because he’d seen her break someone’s jaw in a fight shouldn’t make her scared of being sent away again. Even if he’d said all the things she’d pretended her father might say to her if she were to ever return home. Even if no one else had ever said she had potential.

“Are you alright?” Kasius stared at her, wide-eyed and flabbergasted.

Sinara furiously wiped away the stupid tears stinging at the corners of her eyes, jerking her head towards Rhaen’s notes.“I can’t read that shit.”

“Oh,”he said, sounding a little relieved. He handed her a handkerchief.“It’s cursive. I’ll send Rhaen away and teach you, if you’d like.”

She only shrugged in reply, unsure whether he even meant it, but he was already dismissing their tutor.

* * *

Training was a lot easier with Sinara there. At times Kasius would almost go so far as calling it fun. He had his own sparring partner now, and though Faulnak still mocked him at every turn it was easier to ignore when it wasn’t accompanied by a thorough beating.

Sinara stopped once he was down, just the way they were always supposed to. She kicked Faulnak in the ribs twice more than entirely necessary, though, and winked at Kasius when she turned away from the fight.

With one kind gesture, he’d unwittingly bought her fierce loyalty, and with three cracked ribs, she’d earned his in return.

Krenyk watched from the side of the training grounds, a smile playing around the corners of his mouth. Sinara had lacked the access to a proper education to reach her potential when he had found her, and Kasius had needed someone to rely on. It seemed it all was working out as well as he had hoped.

* * *

“How come you get to wear a uniform?”Sinara complained, fiddling with one of her many bangles. They were rather in style these days.

“I have a rank high enough for regalia,”Krenyk returned, pleased that they’d gotten to the point where she was comfortable enough to argue, as one should be able to with their guardians.”You, however, are attending as my ward. You must present yourself accordingly.”

She pulled a face but he saw the small shimmer of joy underneath.“I’m not dancing with Faulnak.”

“I dare say he won’t ask you to,”Krenyk said.

“Good.” She slipped into her shoes.“Presentable enough?”

“Absolutely.”

She placed her hand into the crook of his proffered arm. It was her first time attending an official function, and she was a little nervous. But mostly she was elated that this could only mean he had no intention of returning her to the barracks.

And anyway, Kasius had promised to teach her how to dance.

* * *

“Be careful,”Kasius whispered against her hair, arms around her tight enough that she was starting to wonder whether he would ever let go again.

“I won’t be in the vanguard,”she reminded him, patting his back indulgently anyway. Kasius worried enough for both of them. It was her first time going into active combat but she couldn’t say she was all that concerned. The General’s ward wasn’t cannon fodder, like she’d resigned herself to being back in the barracks.

“I’ll write to you every day,”he said, drawing back enough to look at her.

She was about to make a joke about that when his lips were on hers. The kiss was over as suddenly as it had started, and she turned to board her ship without a further goodbye, fingers pressed against her mouth and cheeks burning.

He did indeed writer her every day. She did her best to reply.

* * *

Eight months. She had been gone for eight months, and hadn’t written for the last six weeks. He knew she was alive but that alone did little to calm his racing thoughts.

Perhaps she had grown tired of him, saw him for the disgrace his father constantly reminded him he was, now that she was battle-tested and knew better.

But that did not keep him from waiting in the hangar when the soldiers returned. A few of his peers had invited themselves along, Isana hanging from his arm and chattering on about who knew what. He didn’t bother listening to a single word, brushing her off the second he finally caught sight of Sinara.

He stopped right in front of her, not daring to pull her into his arms no matter how much he wanted to. There was something cold about her he’d never seen directed at himself.

He was taller than her, now, and she was no longer the scrawny thing that didn’t quite fit her own limbs. There was a scar on her face, and new insignia on her lapel.

“You stopped writing,”he said. He did not know what else to say.

Sinara shrugged.“I got busy.”

And just like that she excused herself.

* * *

She pulled up the message that had made it all so difficult, tracing her finger across the words as if it might make them mean something again.

_ I miss you so much you may as well have taken my heart with you. _

She hadn’t known how to respond to that, and with every day that had passed it had gotten more uncomfortable to do so. She’d thought when she saw him again it would sort itself out. She thought she might just kiss him and let that do the talking.

But he had stood there with another woman, one much more befitting of his ranks, and she’d realised she had waited too long. Should have never been foolish enough to think he meant anything by it in the first place.

* * *

They spent far too long in a state of uncertainty, dancing around each other as if they were strangers. He saw her constantly, her social circle intermingling with his enough that she could not outright avoid him, though he sometimes suspected she wanted to by the odd looks she gave him.

Kasius finally decided he’d had enough. Even if she did not feel what he felt, he at least wanted his best friend back. He resolved to approach her after training.

It did not get that far, Krenyk ordering her over to partner with him before he could get his bearings.

He fumbled, and his weapon went flying with a clatter loud enough to draw stares from half the facility.

“Well, look at that. And here I thought Clio was exaggerating.” Her smirk suited her infuriatingly well.“Rumour has it I make you nervous.”

“Don’t flatter yourself,”he scoffed, picking up the weapon he’d dropped.“I just happen to be astoundingly incompetent.”

“That’s not how I remember it,”Sinara said. She nearly sounded her old self again.

Or mayhaps he simply wanted her to.

He swallowed hard, and forced his face to remain impassive.“Are we here to talk or to train?”

If he hadn’t known better, he’d have thought she looked hurt.

* * *

“Go ask her to dance,”Clio hissed in his ear.

Kasius swatted her away with a scowl.“Drop it. She doesn’t want to.”

Clio sighed.“I’m an idiot. Well, no.  _ You’re _ the idiot. This whole time I thought she was the problem but you’re just as dense, aren’t you?”

“What do you mean?”Kasius asked. There was time to be offended at being called a dense idiot later. Right now he was rather more interested in whatever Clio might have to say that could get Sinara away from Akedus.

“She likes you,”Clio said, so slowly as if she were talking to a particularly daft cat.“And she thinks you don’t like her because she’s not nobility.”

Kasius gaped at her.“She what? That’s ridiculous.”

“I know. Now go tell her that.”

* * *

He did not ask her to dance. He did, however, ask her for a word in private.

They sat in the same little alcove they’d hidden in as children when he’d been too exhausted from his father’s needling to stand it even a second longer, and Sinara had piled a plate high with aperitives for them to share.

“This is less spacious than I remember it,”Sinara remarked.

Her arm was indeed pressed up against his. He quite liked that.

“Well, a lot of things have changed.” Kasius took her hand, half expecting her to pull away.“I missed you.”

“I’ve been back quite some time,”she reminded him mildly.

He rolled his eyes as he intertwined their finger more comfortably.“You know what I mean. I’ve missed us.”

“Is there an us?”she asked, tongue darting out to wet her lips nervously.

Words didn’t seem quite enough, so he just kissed her.

* * *

“Well, didn’t you play the long game?”Sinara remarked drily some years later, carefully laying their newborn baby into Krenyk’s arms.“Adopt the first stray you find and next thing you know, your grandson is next in line for the throne.”

Kasius smiled pressing a kiss to Sinara’s forehead. Krenyk was the only grandfather the little one would ever know, and he was quite happy with that.

“Don’t be silly,”Krenyk said, eyes only on the babe.“There is no way I could have foreseen this outcome.”

Faulnak’s death had been a welcome surprise.


End file.
